Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Scott Valentine played on both the London Knights and Oshawa Generals of the OHL for stints this past season. With their last selection of the draft (their 2009 seventh was traded to acquire a pick last year), the Anaheim Ducks selected Valentine.

2009-10: In his first full season with the Oshawa Generals, Valentine posted 5 goals, 14 assists and 82 PIM in 63 games.

2010-11: Valentine skated in 62 of 66 games for Oshawa in his third OHL season and displayed both toughness and playmaking skills. Valentine finished the season with 106 PMs, three minutes behind team leader Andy Andreoff (LAK) and was +17. Offensively his 32 assists were second only to Islanders’ prospect Calvin de Haan’s 42 amongst Oshawa defensemen. Valentine also scored 4 goals. Oshawa reached the second round of the playoffs after finishing second in the East Division. Valentine played in 9 of the 10 playoff games, scoring 1 goal with 1 assist and was -2 with 28 PMs.

2011-12: Valentine was invited to Nashville’s camp after not being signed by Anaheim and was offered a three-year entry-level contract by the Predators in September 2011. He spent his first pro season with Nashville’s AHL affiliate Milwaukee. He scored 2 goals with 10 assists and was minus-six with 69 penalty minutes in 63 games for the Admirals. Milwaukee finished second in the North Division and faced Abbotsford in the first round of the playoffs. Valentine skated in 2 of 3 games in the series with the Heat and was minus-one with no points nor penalty minutes.

2012-13: Valentine played 64 games for Nashville AHL affiliate Milwaukee in his second pro season. He scored 4 goals with 10 assists and was +4 with 74 penalty minutes. The Admirals finished second in the Midwest Division and lost to Texas in a first round playoff series. Valentine played in two of four games in the series and was -1 with no points and 2 penalty minutes.

2013-14: Valentine skated in a lower pairing role for Nashville AHL affiliate Milwaukee in his third pro season. He appeared in 65 regular season games, scoring 2 goals with 9 assists, and was +1 with 59 penalty minutes. He did not appear in any games during the Admirals three-game playoff series with Toronto. Valentine was tendered a qualifying offer by Nashville in June 2014; becoming a restricted free agent.

Talent Analysis

Valentine plays a physical style with some offensive elements to his game. A depth defenseman at the AHL level to this point he is a popular teammate who competes on a nightly basis. His skating and puck skills are still developing and may be the key things preventing him from cracking the NHL club to this point.

Future

Valentine spent his entire entry-level contract skating for the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals and was tendered a qualifying offer by Nashville in June. Should he return to Milwaukee he will likely be counted on to be a veteran presence with several changes in the Admirals lineup. He has the potential to be a lower-pairing physical defenseman in the right situation but could hit his peak as a minor league defender.

Photo: The Nashville Predators have invested a lot of assets in European players like prospect Joonas Lyytinen over the years, but the returns have been somewhat sluggish (courtesy of Atte Rissanen/Champions Hockey League via Getty Images)

The Nashville Predators have one of their top prospects playing in the NCAA ranks — though Jimmy Vesey’s ultimate destination has been a source of much conjecture. The other five prospects playing college hockey are less established at this point.

Photo: Calle Jarnkrok, acquired from Detroit in the David Legwand trade, registered nine points in 12 NHL games with the Predators in 2013-14 (courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Nashville Predators made a big splash in the 2013 NHL Draft when they took defenseman Seth Jones with the fourth overall pick. Not surprisingly, Jones made the jump right to the NHL and was one of four defensemen 23 years of age or younger to see significant time in Nashville.

Photo: The Ducks NHL lineup includes two picks from 2009, defenseman Sami Vatanen (pictured) and winger Kyle Palmieri. Anaheim’s 15th overall pick, Peter Holland, is also in the NHL with Toronto (courtesy of Warren Wimmer/Icon SMI)

Entering the 2009 NHL Draft, the Ducks were just two years removed from hoisting the Stanley Cup Finals, and with forwards such as Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Bobby Ryan quickly becoming the face of the franchise, management felt a need to restock the cupboard offensively in the first round.

Photo: Finnish defenseman Mattias Ekholm is one of three defensive prospects on the Milwaukee Admirals roster with NHL experience. (courtesy of Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Nashville Predators have traditionally been a team that appears to be both on the verge of a rebuild and getting ready for a championship run. This is mirrored by their AHL and ECHL prospects, who could be considered phenomenal fits for the system run by the Predators but are also a little weaker in terms of talent compared to other teams.